Slurry drier for cement plants



A. A. CHANEY Oct. 11, 1938;

2,132,984 SLURRY DRIER FOR CEMENT PLANTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1934 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1938.. A. A. CHANEY 2,132,934

SLURRY DRI ER FOR CEMENT PLANTS Filed May 22, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY QQZX)AQ.

ATTORNEY O d; 11, 1938. A. A. CHANEY 2,132,984

SLURRY DRIER FOR CEMENT PLANTS Filed May 22, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 AWZIWNTOR ATfonNsY Patented Oct. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE This invention relates to the manufacture of cement and it has particular reference to machine'ry especially adapted to operate'between a kiln and its stack wherein slurry, or hydraulic cement, can be dried and 'pre-heated priortoits introduction'into the kilnand'itsprincipal Object 'resides 'in the provision of a combination of ele- "ments whereby such slurry can be slowly passed through 'a processof dehydration and heating by bringing the material into contact with the hot blast which emanates from the kiln and escapes through the stack into the atmosphere and is thereby wasted.

Another object of the invention ismanifest in v the provision of such an arrangement of mechanical elements as will be capable of so handling the slurry as to minimize ther'noisture content of the mixture to the'extent that the latter requiresthe minimumvof treatment after the same has been delivered to the kiln -and, sincethe subjection of the material to'the excess heat or hot blast pass: ing from the kiln into the stack substantially dries the mixture, a great saving in fuel consumption can be realized. The manifestation of a saving in fuel consumption'is also due to the fact that the slurry is pre-heated .p'riorto its passage into the kiln.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision'ofme'chanism, as described in the foregoing, capable of affording greater facilities whereby production can be increased and at a saving in time, as well as other'important items attendant upon the production of cement. While 'the foregoing objects are paramount r other and lesser objects will become manifest as the description proceeds, taken in connection Figure 3 is afragmentary'view'of the manner in which the rings' or rim members of the tables are supported.

Figure 4 shows the "invention in elevation from the side iiclimally facing the kiln, 'afs show'n in Figure 1 {and illustrating the convyoa -as wel1 as the revolving tables drivingmechan'ism, and the spiral-like scraper blade, and

Figure S is a "fragmentary elevational view of the conveyor chain, buckets and sprocket for driving same. I

-In the manufacture of cement there are at least two methods of preparing the same for use as such'a'n'd which" consist, in substance, of grinding the rock and burning in a kiln and, by grinding the rock to a finely divided mass and mixing the material with water. The present invention is designed for use under'theconditions last mentioned, that of producing cement from a wet mixture.

Under certain conditions it is found most desirable to make use of the so-called wet mixture to obtain "the best results. This fact, however, 'is well known in'the art and it is-th'ought unnecessary to 'here cite the advantages of either 'metho'd'of production.

It has been found, however, that in the use of thei'nethod wherein the mixture is introduced to the kiln in a wet state a tremendous amount of heat is necessary to properly dry and then burn the material to'produce a high grade product and it follows that when this great amount of heat is required muc'hof itsvusefulness is lost through the stack. 'It is, therefore, the primary purpose 'of this invention to make use of this energy by subjecting the slurry mixture to its drying and heating possibilities and thus take advantage of the saving which would result.

Accordingly, the invention consists primarily of a housing I, illustrated more in detail in Figure 2, which is strengthened on all of its sides by supports -2 preferably in the form of I-beams. It-is not intended that the walls of the housing I shouldbe arranged in any particular manner but the illustration in Figure 2 is deemed to serve the purpose in a satisfactory manner and, for the sake (if clarity, such a structure is'herein described.

Situated within the housing I and arranged in concentric relationship to the walls thereof are a multiplicity of bands or rings 3 preferably L- shaped in cross-section, such as angle irons, and which are supported at numerous points around their circumference by vertical supports 4, preferably in the form of "I-beams, as shown par- 'ti'c'ular1y in Figure 2. Each of the rings 3 are I individually secured to the supports '4 me manrraagenient wilireta n the rings 3 in their proper manner shown in Figure 1.

position, their function to be presently described. The'rings 3 do not form'a complete circle, as shown in Figure 2, for reasons which will become manifest shortly in the herein description.

concentrically arranged within the rings 3, that is to say, axially with respect thereto, is a vertical shaft 1 which is mounted in bearings 8 and 9, the bearing 8 being secured in the top of the frame work 2 and the bearing 9 is disposed at the bottom of the assembly as particularly illustrated in Figure 1. Mounted securely upon the shaft 1 is a series of disk-like tables I which are capable of revolving with the shaft 1 andwhose outer peripheries extend beneath the laterally extending flange a of the rings 3, as illustrated in Figure Attention is directed to the fact that each of the rings3 do not extend completely around the shaft 1, as shown in Figure 4, for the reason that a means must be provided on one side of the assembly to permit any commodity of material placed on the said, tables H] to be dislodged therefrom,'a more detailed description of this function will become manifest another part of this specification.

As exemplified in Figures land 4, the rings 3 and the tables ID are arranged one uponthe other, or in superimposed relationship, and a plurality of such rings 3 and tables Ill are illustrated. Each of the tables II] are provided with therethrough. A series of valves I! in the pipesl l regulate the flow of the mixture from the feeder box l5 to the tables l0.

Each of the tables in are provided with hubs l8, the latter being secured to the shaft 1 in a provided. to support the tables l0 and the weight which they are designed to carry and which will be presently described; Securely attached at b at one side ofeach of the rings 3 a curved knife, or scraper l3, which extends substantially spirally over the surface of the table ID as shown in Figure 2, and terminates on the opposite side "of theshaft from the opening provided in the rings 3, previously described. It must be remembered that the scrapers l9 are stationary, being securely attached at b to the rings 3 which are also stationary, but their opposite ends are free and terminate, as previously stated, on the opposite side of the shaft 7 from the openings in the rings 3. The purpose of this scraper 19 will become manifest the description proceeds. Each of the feeders H are driven by pinion 20 and a bevelled gear 21.

The series of bevelled gears 2| are rigidly mounted. upon a'vertical shaft 22' which is supported by an I-bearn 23 and driven bya bevelled gear'z i, situated near, the bottom of the'a ssembly, as shown in Figure 1, and driven by amotor 25,,orthe like, as shown in Figure 2. The function, of course, of the shaft 22, bevelled gears 2| and pinions 20 is to bring about the rotation of the flight conveyor 53 arranged within the cylindrieal member I2, previously described. It is also pointed out that the cylindrical members [2 These hubs l8 are which extend horizontally along the surface of the tables II] are provided with slots 26 which extend from the point e where the cylindrical members [2 reach the edge of the tables In and diverges toward the end thereof atd. This arrangement is shown in Figure 2, and'the function of this slot 26 will be later described.

Situated near the bottom of the shaft 1 and securely fixed thereto is a relatively large bevelled gear 21, as shown in Figure 1, which rotates the shaft 1 through a bevelled pinion 28 and the shaft 29 driven by a motor 33 through a series of reducing assemblies 3|, as illustrated in Figures and 4. The reducing assemblies 3! are optional, although considered desirablein the operation of the herein described invention. It is found that best results can be ohtained by rotating the tables l0 very slowly.

As previously stated, the invention is primarily designed for the purpose of drying slurry or hydraulic cement, it being found desirable, in some cases, to manufacture'cement in this manner in order to bring about a close co-mingling of the ingredients and in order to reduce materially the fuel consumption necessary for drying and burning the-mixture, it is necessary to provide some 7 means of dehydrating the said mixture prior to its introduction intothe kiln. Thus such material is delivered from tanks or vats (not shown) to the. feeder box IE from' which it is delivered through the conduits or feeder'pipes 14 to the tables Ill through the feeders l l and the cylindrical members 12, previously described, and evenly distributed thereby overv the surface of the disklike tables l0; a

As theslurry passes through the pipes M, the volume of which can be controlled by the valves l1, it is deposited in the feeders ll, illustrated in Figurel from where it is carried byfiight conveyors [3 through the cylindrical members I2 and deposited through the slot 26 onto the tables I (J as the latter rotate. As previously mentioned, the slot 26 diverges from its beginning at c in the cylindrical member 12 to the end of the'latter at d thus affording a proper and even distribution of the material over the surface of the tables In.

As the tables Ill are caused to rotate very slowly,. requiring approximately thirty minutes for each complete rotation thereof, the mixture is subjected to a very severe heat passing from the kiln 32 to the stack 33 through the assembly just'described which is situated intermediate the kiln 32 and the stack 33 in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.v

After the material is deposited on the tables It], the latter rotating in an anti-clockwise direction, as illustrated by. the arrows in Figure 2, the knives. or scrapers l9, due to their peculiar spiral-like shape, gradually urge the material towards the outer peripheryof the tables I0, and at the point of opening in the rings 3,,previously described, the material leaves the tables!!! and drops into a trough-like depository34, illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 1, and which extends crosswise to the assembly with respect to the kiln 32, and adjacent to the bottom of the housing'l, through' which a chain conveyor 35 operates over sprocket 36 carrying buckets 3'! attached at intervals thereto, as'shown in Figure 5, which latter pick up the substantially dry or dehydrated material and carry it to a point above the approximate center of the assembly at e and deposits the same in the hopper 38 where the material drops through a chute 39 into the kiln 32, as shown in Figure 1. By the time the material reaches the hopper 38 and is passed through the chute 39 approximately all of the moisture has been driven therefrom and thus it requires 5 less heat to properly burn the same in its final process in the kiln 32. I

The hot blast from the kiln that it is herein proposed to make use of emanates from the mouth of the kiln 32 and passes through the ho s-s l ing I between the table I0 and rings 3, in the manner shown by the arrows in Figure 1, and contacts the material deposited upon the tables ID. A baflle 40 is arranged in the mouth of the kiln 32, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure '1,

l and another bafile 3| is positioned on the opposite side of the assembly adjacent to the opening 42 into the stack 33. The battle 3| extends some distance under one of the rings 3 and the tables IE to deflect the hot blast, passing in the direc 20 tion of the arrows previously referred to, back through the assembly toward the side adjacent to the kiln 32, again passing between the tables !3 and out through the opening 42 in. the stack 33. In this manner the full benefit of the heat 25 emanating from the kiln is taken advantage of to dry out and preheat the slurry before the same is delivered into: the kiln by the conveyor assembly 35, 36, and 31, and the chute 39.

Again referring to the rings 3, the primary pur- 0 pose of these members is to retain the material on the tables In in theirrotation, yet allowing the latter to freely rotate under them to move the mixture slowly within the confines of the housing I until it is dislodged from the tables III by the 35 scraper I9 which is formed in such a manner as to graduate the material toward the outer periphery of the tables in and are preferably set at an angle with respect to the upper, surface in Figures 2 and 4, the lowermost edge of which 40 is designated as f.

Having further reference to the conveyor assembly 35, 36 and 31, it is pointed out that foursprockets 36 are utilized, two of which are mountshaft vertically arranged through the said housing, means provided on the lower end of the said shaft rotating the same, a series of superimposed disk-like tables secured to the said shaft and rotatable therewith, a stationary ring arranged around the major portion of each of the said disk-like tables, means cooperating with each of the said tables and depositing cement thereon, scraping means extending over the upper surface of each of the said tables and extending from one side of the said rings and terminating near the said shaft, the said scraping means urging the said cement from the said tables after the same has been dried and means permitting the passage of heated air over and between the said tables.

2. In a slurry drier for cement, a housing a vertical shaft extending through the said housing and means rotating the same, a series of superimposed disk-like tables fixed to the said shaft. and rotating therewith, a stationary ring surrounding the major portion of each of the said I tables providing retention means for the said slurry, means cooperating with each of the said tables independently and collectively depositing slurry thereon, stationary means extending over the upper surface of each of the said tables urging the dried slurry therefrom as the said tables rotate and means permitting the flow of heated air over and between the said tables drying the said slurry.

ALPHA A. CHANEY. 

